El Clasico: 5 times Barcelona outclassed Real Madrid

#3 Barcelona 5-0 Real Madrid, 1974

Johan Cruyff (centre), pictured in a Barcelona shirt.

The Camp Nou reveres Johan Cruyff.

Prior to the Dutch maestro's arrival in Catalunya, Barcelona was considerably successful in the Spanish league but was simply unable to match up to Real Madrid. Cruyff's arrival wreaked havoc on the status quo.

Widely regarded as the man solely responsible for transforming Barcelona and even football to a great extent, Cruyff applied the largely foreign concept of 'Total Football' to Barcelona's squad at the time, and the results were nothing short of astounding.

Real Madrid, at the time, used a fairly conventional system that proved no match for Cruyff's tactical nous. Pulling the strings in attacking midfield, Cruyff got on the scoresheet before setting up goals for Juan Manuel Asensi and Juan Carlos.

The Dutchman subsequently succeeded in pulling Barcelona out of a mediocre phase and is responsible for Barcelona's impeccable style of play over the past decade. This 5-0 drubbing was the first time Barcelona had so effectively dominated their arch-rivals. It served as a benchmark for several Barcelona teams for the rest of the century.